Earlier today, a new American Idol winner was announced--Phillip Phillips from Georgia took home the crown, beating contender Jessica Sanchez, a 16 year-old Filipino-Mexican from California.
Just like the previous American Idol seasons where a Filipino made it as one of the Top 12 finalists, the entire Philippines went crazy over the show (whereas people do not really give much of a damn when there isn't a Filipino on the show), and as week after week passed and Jessica Sanchez was getting closer and closer to being in the top 2, this show kept the country hooked, tuning in twice a week when the show would air.
Every week (especially as the show was nearing its conclusion) Filipinos would go on a "voting frenzy", asking everyone they know (even those who are not based in the US) to go online or call the American Idol hotlines and literally FLOOD them with votes for Jessica Sanchez. While the members of the European Union are scrambling to get Greece out of its economic crisis, or while tensions between the Philippines and China are escalating, all the people could think of right now is to vote for Jessica Sanchez, because if she does win, this would be the first time that a Filipino would win on the said AMERICAN television program. And mind you, everyone was all over this "news story", from the local media networks (click this link) to politicians (click this link)--the very same people who should be working to call to our attention matters that could actually either make or break this country.
This just shows a lot about our extremely distorted sense of priorities, doesn't it?
Earlier this week, during his privilege speech at Congress, Manila Representative Amado Bagatsing condemned and likened the US pop singer Lady Gaga to the devil during her two-day concert here in the Philippines, criticizing her for her eyebrow-raising songs such as "Judas" and "Alejandro". A few weeks ago, local news channels were all over the airport brawl between journalist Ramon Tulfo and husband-and-wife actors Raymart Santiago and Claudine Barretto, putting this ridiculous news story ahead of more pressing issues at the time, and taking up at least 70% of the evening news programs' 1.5-hour airtime. The time that could have been used to inform the people of the true sorry state of the country (and possibly offering solutions to combat these problems) was instead used to distract the people from these issues and direct them towards matters that are just forms of escapism, doing nothing to alleviate the problems that we are faced with now.
So what if Jessica Sanchez wins American Idol? Although many of you might say that her victory would give us the chance to show off "Filipino talent", going crazy over her victory (and not letting the rest of the world hear the end of it for years to come by flooding her YouTube videos with "Filipinos are great" or "Filipinos are so talented" comments) just shows how "shallow" the people of our country are. This is just a really embarrassing trait that I think Filipinos should get rid of. It just gives people from other countries a negative impression on the type of people we Filipinos are. Going crazy over a TV talent contest is just plain embarrassing.
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| In the days leading to the AI season 11 finals, online campaigns such as this one have been spreading in the Philippines |
And what do you mean by "Filipino talent", exactly? What do you mean by "galing ng Pinoy"? Last time I checked, one's nationality has absolutely NOTHING to do with the development of one's talents or capabilities. Just because someone is Filipino-born does not mean that he or she is automatically talented in singing or dancing. Anyone (whether that person is Russian, Greek, Nigerian, or Canadian) could be a great singer, as long as he or she is 100% committed to cultivating these talents, by dedicating a lot of time practicing and training oneself.
As I mentioned earlier, Jessica is both of Filipino and Mexican descent. But why are the Filipinos the only ones going crazy over her stint on American Idol? Why aren't the 112,000,000 Mexicans frantically flooding their Twitter or Facebook pages with pleas telling Mexicans everywhere to "vote, vote vote"? Is it because we Filipinos are just such attention whores, or is it because the people of Mexico have other, more important matters to attend to? If you have been paying attention to the news at all, you probably know that Mexico has a serious drug problem and hundreds (if not thousands) of people die each year due to drug-related gang violence. Corruption is an issue there, too--and Mexicans deem these more important than seeing one of their own win a singing competition in another country.
While people from other countries are making great strides in the fields of science, health, law or education that could be a true source of national pride (see this or this or this), many Filipinos still cannot get over the fact that there still hasn't been a Filipino-born winner on American Idol, after 11 seasons.
Pathetic, isn't it?
Don't get me wrong--I am not a Jessica Sanchez hater. I actually think she can sing well (or else she wouldn't make it that far into the competition) and she might just make it big in Hollywood; it's just that I don't think she is someone that the people of an impoverished country should really be going crazy about--at least not right now, when at least 30% of the population still live below the poverty line, and lots of children around the country are forced to work in rice fields or factories instead of going to school, to receive education that is necessary for them to be able to succeed in life.
There is more to life than American Idol, people, and it's time to move on. It is perfectly okay to root for a particular contestant on a TV contest, but we shouldn't make our lives revolve around this. We shouldn't take so much time going crazy over a contestant especially if he or she is at least 1/2 Filipino. Something as mundane as this does not deserve all our attention. There's a much bigger world out there--or in our case, a much bigger, messed-up world. It's time to set our priorities straight.
I just learned that Jessica is 100% Filipino. Her "Step dad" who is shown a lot in the show is Mexican-American
ReplyDeleteMay I please know your source? I cannot seem to find any website pointing out this "fact" of yours.
DeleteYes we all know everybody's all hyped up with these recent incidents (and we always are), but do we even ask ourselves what we are doing individually to contribute to the more important issues? How about you? After ranting and stating the facts, have you done anything to much value?
ReplyDeleteLet me turn the question around--have YOU done anything to much value?
DeleteI am a college student right now, trying to do my best at school so I can graduate, get a decent job (or who knows--start my own business) and hopefully become an internationally-published fiction writer in the future, and then travel around the world. I am very much determined and focused to reach these goals, focused enough to keep me from going crazy over a Filipino who finds success in Hollywood (be it Jessica Sanchez or Charice or Bruno Mars). Hopefully these goals of mine would be of help to the country in any way. I think the littlest of initiatives can go a long way. I don't think doing something as grand as staging rallies would be necessary, at least in my case.
That's good. At least you know that in little ways that we can do, you know it's gonna help in some way. I think you just have to leave it there that maybe some people are "happy" being overwhelmed by such events and maybe some people are finding the fun out of it - after all, its the entertainment industry. By far, showbiz/Hollywood and politics are/can be both intertwined in this country. It's a good wake up call, but it certainly does not apply to all - only the majority. They may have achieved some valuable things as well, just that, yes, majority of the people may tend to follow this trend. My suggestion is to have balance. We can entertain the "fad" and after a while, go back to our own business, be serious, uphold to what is important and run our lives/country again.
ReplyDeleteMe? Much of the people in our industry would choose to work overseas since there's big money in it in other countries. I chose to stay to keep the industry alive, striving and sustaining. IT has helped mankind to its extensive value. I chose to work here with a very reputable company, pay my due taxes accordingly and simply by abiding the law whether it be a responsible of an individual or maybe as a group of people. To add value to it, creating, initiating and pushing thru technologies that will drive us all to its maximum potential. On the sideline, non-tech work would include initiatives to reach out to marginalized people and helping sustain the industry by opening new opportunities.
I just hate how the people from the more developed countries do not really seem to bother much with these kinds of things while we Filipinos are willing to give up an entire day over these things (I've actually heard of people who skip work just to watch the Miss Universe pageant each year. While other countries do encourage the people to focus on what really matters, the Philippines is mesmerized by the little things such as this one that don't do much to help our country.
DeleteYou have focus and have an ambitious goal and I find that good. You have a drive for excellence and you look up to these developed countries for inspiration.
DeleteYes, that's true we have a lot of distraction (thus, entertainment). You also have to take note that such developed countries also have their fair share of "unimportant things". If you know that much about Hollywood (and the incredibly stupid things that they are doing), this is nothing against it. Trust me. What I'm saying is, there are still some people in the US and all around the world that will also over-fantasize about this. We are not the only ones. Just that, in our "culture", if I may say so, the media has overemphasized such stories. No matter what story it is, it becomes a pretty big deal here in our country. I bet you that in the next week, there's another series of different news.
That person you are referring to might be affecting just only his/herself only. It's that person responsibility for what may that incur. S/he may do it once in a while (for his/her favor), but never should it take up his/her life. But taking it on a greater scale, of course, we would not want all people to be like that.
We can look up to these developed countries. We can follow their pattern and from there, we can benchmark how they handle their economy, debt, industries, etc. But you also have to take note that there are a LOT of reason why our country is in such state. Thanks for noticing the "little things", believe me this is really petty, but it's still a factor. But from this, you can step out and do your goals for yourself, but also don't forget about the country, your fellow citizens and if you would want to contribute something big, why not. We would be applauding for you. I will credit you for once you took these problems seriously.
No matter what industry you are in, start to make difference. Start by respecting one person per day to coming up with your own business and generating jobs for all. If one day you can do this, then well and good. Kudos to you! And keep on building your dream!
I think these "little things" you are trivializing are the things that makes life interesting. Sure, having a good economy and being secured is nice, but at the end of the day, people want to be rock stars and it adds meaning to life.
ReplyDeleteI hope you realize that in the so-called rich countries like Singapore, kids there are really trying hard to be sportsmen and entertainers. They are not happy with academics and boring desk jobs. Take it from a guy who stayed away from Philippines for quite some time. Kala nio lang, pero ingit sila sa Pinoy
fields of science, health, law or education ? Who in the world will be interested in those things? They are not cool. So you are saying that other achievements are inferior?
ReplyDeleteBeauty Pageant, Sports not important? In Singapore, folks there are bent on getting a good result in Miss Universe. Try to search the net.
In Europe, folks there do not go to work or they stop working to watch Euro 2012. I dare say that if you only equate fanaticism to Filipinos, then you are wrong my friend. They are just discrete, but trust me, they are just same as Pinoys. We have to be proud of people that place the Philippines in the map.
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DeleteThere's nothing completely wrong about fanaticism (I myself am a huge fan of the Harry Potter series and the American TV show called "How I Met Your Mother"). But, you said it yourself--people from other countries are discrete about it--they don't want everyone to show this side of them that makes them appear "shallow". What they want others to know about them is that they are focused and hardworking (even if as you said, they do skip work just to watch Euro 2012). This makes them seem more "respectable" in the eyes of other people and would give a positive impression about them. Filipinos, however, are not too shy about showing our "shallow" side which gives others a negative impression of us Filipinos.
DeleteAnd, accomplishments in the fields of science, health, law, or education, even if you say they are "not cool", are what would help a country progress. Having a representative from your country win a beauty pageant does nothing, really. How many Miss Universe pageant winners has our country had? What has changed since Venus Raj and Shamcey Supsup landed in the top five in 2010 and 2011? Has the conflict in Mindanao been resolved? Have they put a stop to our country's corruption problem? I don't think so.
@ anonymous I weep for your generation, considering escapist entertainment to be more important than science and education. At least i won't be around when you assholes start running society.
Delete@FDMT you are a beacon of hope in this stinking cesspool. If you were born ten years earlier we could've been great peers. make sure people like mr. anonymous there don't have their way. Keep on writing, great stuff.
She isn't Filipino. She's All-American, born and raised in the great Estados Unidos. And Fil-Am my @$$, the correct term nowadays is Asian-American.
ReplyDelete